A blog about Marinwood-Lucas Valley and the Marin Housing Element, politics, economics and social policy. The MOST DANGEROUS BLOG in Marinwood-Lucas Valley.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Will you have to make your Home Accessible for Section 8?

If you rent a room to a person on Section 8, will you have to make your Home Accessible?

The Marin County Board of Supervisors made it far more risky to rent a room in your home on March 21, 2017. They created an ordinance that makes it illegal to "income discriminate" against Section 8 tenants. While the supervisors claim that no one is required to rent to any individual, it sets a legal trap for a potential landlord if he does not strictly follow the HUD guidelines. It will be a gift for litigation attorneys but will hurt homeowners and small landlords the most.

If you accept Section 8, you will be required to for HUD rule Section 504. There are a bunch of regulations aimed at the professional landlord and management company which you should read before renting your home.

Will you have to remodel your home to be "accessible"? Will you have to accommodate mentally handicapped individuals? I think the answer is "yes" but I am not an attorney.

This ordinance is so wrong because people rent rooms to assist in expenses and NOT to take on more debt and legal liability. It is moderate income homeowners that are hurt the most.

About SaveMarinwood.org

Our community is what we make it. Marinwood-Lucas Valley is on the eve of a fateful decision by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to designate our community with 71% of all affordable housing in unincorporated Marin. If built to plan it will swell our community by 25% and add 600-1000 school children to the Dixie School District. Since affordable housing developments pay virtually no taxes, the community will have to pay for the $6 million to $10 million annually estimated to educate these children. Our total budget for the Marinwood CSD is $4.2 million dollars. Clearly it will have a severe impact on our community.

We support a fair allocation of affordable housing in our community that is sensitive to land use, is fiscally responsible, healthy for the families and integrates diversity within our community.

Unfortunately, planners, politicians and political insiders made their plans without us.